A denouement is not a complete or fully resolved ending but a satisfying closure to a story. It means in French “an untying, a relaxing of a knot of complexity.” Denouement is the rest that comes when all the disparate plot lines of the a story, gnarled and taut, have been untied and an order comes about that brings a new moment of true peace.

Denouement is an ending that serves as the prelude for a new beginning; there is always the next turn in the road. Often times, we don't allow endings to be noted, let alone celebrated. Therefore we never allow denouement to invigorate the upward movement and creation of a new story.

At Bianca and Matt's wedding last Tuesday at Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, we celebrated the denouement of two stories ending and one new story beginning.

Bianca and Matt…I have no words to adequately express how much I love you. How much I need you. How much I want you. Together. In my life. For the first time I was able to see, truly, you both melt into each other and grant the permission to be captivated by the other. Dare I steal Matt's word…but I will. Your wedding day was magical. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it. I lovelovelove you, even on the days when I don't show it. Congrats and I hope you spent time forcing Matt to work on his tan in Mexico! 🙂 Much Love and Appreciation… j*

Jacky, one of Bianca's dearest friends, gave Bianca a pair of Christian Louboutin's to wear on her wedding day. Uhhhh, makes me ask myself where Jacky was when I got married! 😉

Bianca is…how shall I say this….DRAMATIC. If you've met her, everything! is either THE BEST thing she's ever eaten, how SHE ALMOST DIED in two inches of water, or the time she'd said NEVER, EVER AGAIN…EVER…and then did it the following day. She's just like that. So when Bianca picked her Pronovias wedding dress, it just fit her personality perfectly!

Lucky for me, I had the distinct pleasure of working with Jaclyne from Heavenly Blooms…she's extraordinarily talented and really helped hone the vision for the wedding day…

Many thanks to the uber fab Nicole Deanne for hair and makeup. Bianca looked positively radiant…and I have no doubt that last minute iridescent eye shadow Nicole use had a little something to do with it! 😉

Just before Bianca got into her dress, the amazing Stephanie Fay came in to capture candid shots. Like this one. It made me cry. I'll be the first to say my family is crazy–oh like we dance after someone gets into a wedding dress!–but this moment will forever be frozen in my mind as one of my favorites from the day.

So…people wanted to ask when I knew. When I knew I was supposed to be my sister's wedding photographer. I can pinpoint that moment precisely. The picture on the right was when it clicked for me. Stephanie was shooting, but I was DYYYYING without my camera. I ran to the other end of the room, and started shooting again. The minute I knew I couldn't capture moments on her wedding, was the moment I realized I had to.
Jewelry: J. Crew

After getting dressed Bianca went to the ever gorgeous Sunstone Winery. No, really, this place is unreal. I could shoot a wedding everyday there. It was perfection. While Bianca waited for Matt, I snapped a few photos of her…seeing how I can always make her laugh…

…Okay, and I can also bring out her inner fierceness, too! Special thanks to The Treasured Petal for Bianca's hairpiece…

First Look

This photo was captured by Stephanie…

This is proof. Proof that not only does my sister think I'm funny, but now her husband as well! 😉

Rawr.

Matt, you look so darn handsome!!

The beauty of the Sunstone Winery is that if offers so many locations for wedding photos…

Go on wit yo bad selfs…

I was so, so, so thrilled to work with my favorite videographers, Elysium. Julie and Alex have become my friends over the years and I love them…no, adore them! They're amazing at what they do, so having them shoot the wedding at my side was a HUGE honor! Alex was actually the one who placed Bianca and Matt in this location…and I loved it!

It was rather warm as we were shooting wedding pictures, so we decided to head back into the shade. On our way back, Bianca and Matt were being all lovey and stuff, and these photos are some of my favorites from the day…because it's just so them…

Again, here's Jaclyne working her floral magic with Bianca's bouquet…….lurrrrrved it!

So…so, so so….here's where the thank yous get outta control.
The people behind the wedding day coordination were the fabfabfabulous Anna and Angel of Events of Love and Splendor. Per usual, they worked with Bianca to refine ideas and execute a flawless day. I've had the pleasure of working with them in the past, but seeing their diligence and hardwork for such a personal time in my life blew.me.away…they're incredible at what they do!

Bianca decided to get crafty and make a few things for the wedding details. Oh, remember those days of Bountiful Harvest?!?! Ummm, yeah, they're way gone! Once Bianca settled on a wedding theme, everything feel into place and the ball got rolling. Many thanks to Jeni of Found Vintage Rentals for working her magic and adding elements to the wedding day to make it absolutely breathtaking. Jeni, you're the bomb.

Also from Jeni's vintage collection were these white church pews. When my sister saw them, she died. Then revived just long enough to call me and let me know she found dream details for her wedding. Jeni's touches throughout the wedding were phenomenal!

I was lucky enough to walk down the aisle with this princess. I am so smitten with Ryen it's not even funny.

I might be biased, but Bianca's ceremony was one of my favs…photo by JD

One of the funniest things happened…
My dad (who officiated a portion of the ceremony) almost forgot to have them exchange their rings. JD was in just the right location to capture his reaction…

Stephanie captured the First Kiss perfectly…

We immediately left to Root 246 for the wedding reception and I got back to shooting…you'll see again and again how Jeni's vintage collection, Angel's coordination, and Jaclyne's floral design worked so well together…

One of my favorite parts of their reception…a dessert bar filled with goodies from Solvang Bakery

First Dance…Stephanie's angle…
…with perfect music provided by the raddest DJ ever, Jeff Kishi

First Dance…my angle…

To see more of Bianca and Matt's Sunstone Winery wedding photos, please feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow!